David Warner Ducks Bouncer, Scores Century Against India In Adelaide Test

Australia lost one of its dearest cricketers due to a short pitch bouncer only a few days back. Yet the Australian crowd gave it a cheerful welcome when David Warner was greeted with a bouncer in the fourth over of the match.

Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron's delivery was at around 145km/h to Warner. The Australian batsman was one of the cricketers who were there with Phillip Hughes when he was taken off the ground after he had been hit by Sean Abbott's bouncer at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The nation has still not recovered from the tragic death of its cricketer no. 408. When Aaron bowled the first bouncer of the match, it was interesting to see if Warner was ready for it. Warner might not have followed the cricketing grammar while ducking for the bouncer as his bat was still up, exposing it to the rushing ball. However, his technique was enough to dodge the bouncer.

Australia showed once again how much it loved its cricket as the crowd instantly cheered for the action. "It was a really good bouncer, right on the spot," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mike Hussey in the commentary box. However, the crowd must have been aware what happened to Hughes with a similar delivery around a couple of weeks back. Aaron's short pitch bouncer to Warner might have brought cricket back to its own track as Australia looks to be in a comfortable position with 190/2 after 39 overs.

The Adelaide crowd stood and applauded for 63 seconds just before the match had started. The applause was dedicated to the 63 runs Hughes had scored in his final innings. When Warner reached 63 in his innings, he grabbed his bat and looked up to the sky. It might have been his way of telling Hughes how much he missed him on this day. Warner, who has never been out in his '90s, went on to become the first batsman in the emotional Test match to score a century in just 106 balls. He is accompanied by his skipper Michael Clarke who also looks quite comfortable at 53 (71).

Australia earlier won the toss and decided to bat first.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au